Delivery apparatus.



J. A. LEWIS.

DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 1916.

Patented Oct. 10,1916.

OZ 6r chroma@ J. A. LEWIS.

DELIVERY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23.11916.' v

Patented Oct. 10,1916.

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f lwuewco .JwmALemzg AAI JOHN A. LEWIS, 0F DARK, ARKANSAS.

nELIvEnY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Paten-t.

Patented oet. 1o, 191e.

Application sied February 23, 19'1'6. serial No. 80,011.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. LEWIS, citizen of the United States,residing at Oark, in the county of Johnson and State of Arkansas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Delivery Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to delivery apparatus and it consists in thenovel features hereinafter described and claimed.

The primary obj ect of the invention is to provide an apparatus ofsimple and durable structure especiallyadapted to be used for deliveringmail although the apparatus may be used to advantage for deliveringlight articles as for instance merchandise, meals, household suppliesand the like.

l/Vith this object in view the apparatus comprises a cable supported atan elevated position with relation to the ground and having bumpermechanisms located at the terminal ends thereof. A car or carriermounted to travel upon the cable and may be operated by a spring motor or an electric motor as desired. In the arrangement as shown in thedrawings, the car is propelled by an el'ectric motor and two systems formoving the car along the cable are shown and described.

In one system, the source for generating the current is carried by thecar and is transmitted to the motor which is also carried by the car.Means are provided for propelling the car from the motor. In the othersystem, the source of electric supply is connected with anv overheadwire and the cablejand the said source is located at a fixed point. Amotor is carried by the car and the electric current is transmitted tothe motor through a trolley arm and wheel in the usual manner. The motoris operatively connected with one of the supporting wheels of the car,the said wheel being mounted to travel along said cable.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevationshowing the arrangement of parts when the source of power is carried bythe car. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the arrangement of parts whenthe source of power is located at a fixed point. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view of the car shown in Fig. 1. 4 is a detailedsectional view of a pole changer used on the car. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal sectional view of a portion f th'e car shown in Fig. 2. Fig. '6 is a transverse sectional viewV of the same. f A

As illustrated in Fig. 1 'ofthe drawings, the system includes poles 1whi'chare mount'- ed in the A'ground at suitable intervalsapart andwhich are provided at their upper portions with brackets 2. A trackcable 8 is supported upon the brackets 2 in the usual manner. Bumperposts 4 are located at the ends of the cable 3 and the ends of the saidcable are connected with the said posts in any suitable manner. Arms 5are mounted at the upper ends of the posts 4 and bars 6 are pivotallyconnected at their upper ends with the said arms 5. Springs 7 areinterposed between the intermediateportions of the bars 6 and theadjacent sides of the posts 4 and are under tension with a tendency tonormally hold the lower or free ends of the bars 6 spaced from theadjacent sides of the posts 4. Loops 8 loosely surround the intermediateportions of the bars 6 and adja! cent posts 4 and serve to limit theswinging movement of the lower portion of the bars 6 in directions awayfrom the intermediate portions of the posts. Keepers 9 are mounted atthe lower end portions of the bars 6. Arms 10 are mounted upon theterminal poles 1 and are disposed at angles with relation-` to the same.Upstanding lugs 11 are carried at the outer ends of the arms 10.

The car or carrier 12 is in the form of a boX or receptacle whichvisdivided at a point between its ends by a partition 13 into compartments. In one of these compartments the articles to be carried maybe placed while the other compartment contains the motor and'source ofelectric supply. The motor 14 is of usual pattern and a pulley 15 isjournaled upon the shaft thereof. A bracket 16 is connected with the topof the car or carrier 12 and wheels 17 are joui-- naled to the saidbrackets and are adapted to travel upon the track cable 3. y A pulley 1Sis formed onjthe bracketand a belt 19 is trained around the pulleys 15and 18. A bar 20 is mounted upon the top ofthe car or carrier 12 and itsend portions project beyond the ends of the body of the said car orcarrier.v Spring catches 21 are mounted upon the upper side of the bar20 at the 'ends thereof and are adapted to engage the in contact withthe lower portions of the bars 6 as will be hereinafter explained.Batteries 22 are mounted upon the car or carrier 12 and electric wires23 connect the batteries 22 with terminals positioned adjacent the pathof movement of the upper end of a switch 24 located at the end of thecar or carrier 12. The lugs 11 are located in the path of movement ofthe lower end of the switch 24 and when the switch comes in contact withthe said lugs, the switch is moved whereby the upper end of the switchis carried out of engagement with Ythe terminals at the ends of thewires 23. l/Vires 25 are connected one with the motor 14 and the otherwith a spring terminal 25. They are also connected with terminalslocated adjacent the switch 24. A terminal 24 is located on the bar 20below the free end of the terminal 25 and a wire 23 connects theterminal 24 with the motor 14. TWhen the switch 24 is in contact withall of the terminals at the ends of the wires 23 and 25 and the terminal25 is in contact with the terminal 24 an electric circuit is establishedfrom the batteries 22 to the motor 14 and when the motor is operatedthrough the pulley 15 and belt 19 the pulley 18 is rotated. Trains ofgear wheels 1S connect the shaft oi the pulley 18 with the wheels 17whereby the said wheels are rotated to cause the car or carrier to movealong the track 3. The switch 24 is of the pole changer type 1and hencethe switch mayl be manipulated to cause the current to travel from thebatteries 22 to the motor 14 in a desired manner to cause the motor topropel the car along the track cable 3 in either of two directions.

Assuming the apparatus described is intended to transport mail from aresidence to a point at the side of the route over which the mailcarrier travels, the mail is placed in the compartment of thel car orcarrier 12 at the opposite side of the partition 13 from that side atwhich the motor 14 and batteries 22 are located. An operator thenadjusts the switch 24 whereby the current is caused to travel from thebatteries 22 over the wires 23 and 25 to the motor 14 in the properdirection and the motor through the connecting pulleys and belt propelsthe car or carrier 12 from the residence to the point adjacent the sideof the route along which the mail carrier travels. When the mail carrierarrives at the car or carrier he removes the mail therefrom and placesin the car or carrier any mail which is intended to be delivered at thesaid residence. W'hen the car arrives at the side of the mail route, thelower portion of the switch 24 strikes the upstanding lug 11 whereby theswitch is turned and the electric circuit from the batteries 22 to themotor 14 is broken. The car then continues to move toward the terminalposts 4 under the momentum that it has gained and when the end of thebar 20 strikes the lower end of the bar 6, the spring' 7 is compressedwhereby the car is cushioned as it is brought to a state of rest. J ustafter the end of the bar 20 strikes the lower end of the bar 6 thespring catch 21 at the upper side of the bar 20 engages over the keeper9 and the car or carrier 12 is held adjacent the terminal post towardwhich it has been traveling. After the mail carrier removes the mailfrom the car or carrier 12 and deposits the mail therein which is to bedelivered he manipulates the switch 24 to cause the current to travel ina proper manner from the batteries 22 to the motor 14 then releases thecatch 21 from the keeper 9 and the car moves back toward the residence.lhen the Car arrives at the resid-ence one end of the bar 20 strikes thelower end of the bar 6, the catch engages the keeper 9 and the switch 24is turned as hereinbefore described and the car comes to a state of restat the point where the mail is to be delivered.

1n the arrangement of parts as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, a currentwire 26 is supported above the track cable 3, and batteries 27 arelocated at a liXed point instead of being carried by the car or carrieras hereinbefore described. Wires 28 connect the batteries 27 with thewire 26 and the track cable 3. A trolley arm 29 is mounted upon the caror carrier 12 in the usual manner and a trolley wheel 30 is journaled atthe upper end thereof and is adapted to.

travel along and in contact with the current wire 2G in the usualmanner. A wire 31 is connected at one end with the wheel 30 and at itsother end with the motor 14. A wire 32 is connected at one end withthemotor 14 and at its other end with the bracket 1G which through thesupporting wheels 17 is electrically connected with the track or cable3, when the terminal 25 is in contact with the terminal 24. The switch24 is adapted to cooperate with terminals provided at the end wires 31and 32 in a manner similar to the switch shown and described in thearrangement shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. 1n this form of theinvention it will be seen that the car'or carrier 12 may be propelled ineither of two directions along the track or cable 3 and an operator maydisconnect either one of the wires 2S from the battery 27 whereby thesaid car or carrier .1.2 may be caused to come toa state of rest at a.point between the terminal posts of the system. Also by reversing theconnection between the wires 2S with the poles of the batteries 27, thesaid poles may be changed whereby the car or carrier 12 may be caused tomove in either direction of two directions along the track or cable 3.

While the two systems hereinbefore described employ electric motors forpropelling the car or carrier it is to be understood that these motorsmay be substituted by spring motors which are operatively connected withthe propelling wheels in amanner the same as that described inconnection with the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

In both forms of the invention a governor 40 is mounted on the shaft ofthe pulley 18 and the weighted arms 41 of the said governor bear againsta piece 42 slidably mounted on the governor 40. A lever 43 'is fulcrumedi-n a yoke 44 mounted on the bar 20 and one end of the said lever isattached to the terminal 25 while the other end bears against the piece42. A spring 45 connected at one end with the lever 43 and at its otherend with the'yoke 44 serves to hold the lever in contact with the piece42. Brake levers 46 are pivoted on the shafts of some of the wheels 18and have ends adapted to engage the perpheries of the wheels 17. Links47 connect the inner ends of the levers 46 with the lower end of thelever 43. In the event that the rate of speed of travel of the carbecomes excessive the arms 41 are swung in an outward direction undercentrifugal force and the piece 42 is moved in an outward directionwhereby the lever 43 is swung and the contact 25 is lifted out ofengagement with the terminal 24 and the electric circuit to the motor isbroken. At the same time the links 47 swing the levers 46 whereby theirends come in Contact with the peripheries of the wheels 17 and serve asbrakes to bring the car to a state-of rest.

From the above description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing it will be seen that an apparatus for delivering articles isprovided and the structural arrangement of the apparatus is simple anddurable and may be easily and quickly manipulated for causing the car orcarrier which contains the articles to move in either of two directionsalong the supporting track or cable. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A delivery apparatus comprising a cable supported in elevated position,posts mount* ed at the ends of the cable and connected to the same, barspivotally connected with the JOHN A. LEWIS. Titnesses A. N. RAGON, R. M.DUNLAP, J r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for` five cents each, byaddressing the commissioner of Ia'temts, Washington, D. C.

